Signage overload happens easily. Loyalty, features and benefits, compliance, pricing, promotions — every department has something it needs to say, and when all of it competes for the same wall, customers get overwhelmed. They can't make sense of the space, and the messages that actually matter get lost in the noise.
Why signage is usually the weakest link
Signage placement is often the biggest pain point in a store, and it's rarely intentional — it's an afterthought. Many designers treat it as an element layered on top of fixtures without real consideration, and the result is a brand left with a scatter of acrylic signs that don't work with the fixtures, don't align with the store design intent, and don't deliver a consistent, premium execution.
Acrylic signage holders have their place in certain scenarios, but I lean toward custom frame solutions wherever possible. Acrylic reflects light in a way that diminishes the brand message, it breaks and cracks constantly under normal store handling, and it rarely sits in true alignment with the broader design intent of the space.
Building the hierarchy
Signage strategy starts with the customer journey and the brand messaging that needs to support it — not with the signage itself. The first step is building a clear hierarchy: what needs to be communicated, where, and in what order of priority as a customer moves through the space. Only once that hierarchy is resolved do we work through the messaging with the appropriate execution for each level of it.
The aim throughout is to decrease print, create generic reusable packs wherever the message allows, and bring in custom or new print only where it genuinely matters — the moments that deserve a premium, considered execution rather than another printed insert.
A practical example
At Léays, we needed solutions to communicate category, sub-category, sizing, and feature-and-benefit messaging for specific products, alongside ways to elevate best sellers and handle general wayfinding. I started with a clear problem statement, ran a competitor analysis, and designed a custom approach that limited print signage in favour of a more premium, considered approach to each space. I designed and sourced the solution directly with the factory to keep costs controlled while keeping the execution at a premium standard.
My approach
I treat signage as a hierarchy problem before it's a design problem — what does the customer need to know, in what order, and where. I push back on signage as an afterthought bolted onto a finished fixture plan, and instead bring it into the design conversation early, so it's built with the space rather than added to it. I favour considered, durable solutions over acrylic where the budget and scenario allow, and I look for every opportunity to replace one-off printed signage with reusable, well-designed systems that hold their premium feel over time.
What this looks like working with me
- Signage hierarchy mapped against the customer journey and brand messaging priority
- Audit of current signage to identify overload, inconsistency and afterthought execution
- Custom frame and holder solutions designed in place of generic acrylic
- Reduction strategy — moving from one-off print to reusable, generic packs wherever possible
- Direct factory sourcing and design to control cost without compromising premium execution
- Competitor analysis to benchmark signage approach and identify differentiation opportunity
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